


A Pirates Promise

by foxymonstrocity



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Falling In Love, Folklore, Mermaids, Obviosly cause pirates, Pirates, Sirens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-07-11 09:58:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15969986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxymonstrocity/pseuds/foxymonstrocity
Summary: The early 1500’s.Monsters happily coexisted amongst the humans but a familiar threat constantly hung over their heads.Pirates.Captain Papyrus makes a promise to protect you while not yet knowing exactly what you are. He does know that you are very much wanted amongst other dangerous pirates.





	1. Rumor Has It

The early 1500’s.

Monsters happily coexisted amongst the humans but a familiar threat constantly hung over their heads.

Pirates.

Blackbeard was the most infamous of them all, him and his crew were feared by all. Companied by his many successes, he had goals to achieve along the way. The Fountain of Youth, Atlantis, El Dorado were all places everyone sailed aspired to find, none more than Blackbeard. Immortality and wealth was every pirates dream! Rumors spread across the seven seas that mermaids could lead the way, then grant you access any of those places. It was now that terrifying pirate’s destiny to capture a mermaid to give him exactly what he desired.  
Unfortunately for Blackbeard and his men, other pirates too heard of this rumor. All at once, many desperately searched for mermaids. Following anything a lead, vivid imagination, even a lie to go off of. More unfortunate for Blackbeard, the most successful of pirates was also hunting for a mermaid. She would have a better chance than any considering she was a monster, and a fishy one at that! Among the crew of Undyne The Blue was a pack of dogs and her mate Alphys, who was never seen by anyone other than the captain herself. 

Well, her and their friends of course. 

The Great Papyrus had a playful rivalry with Undyne but was more captured with silly adventures than treasure and other untold riches. He had heard the rumors of mermaids long before this one reached him but it never let him stray from course! Until today. They had docked their boat at land closest to them to restock and rest for a day. Some of his monsters went to drink themselves silly, some snuck off to a brothel to fully relax themselves while Papyrus and his brother did the actual work for their boat.   
A big beauty, she was. Papyrus named her ‘The Great’, she was a large boat with white bones decorated along the side. At first the captain thought it was a great addition to its already perfect stature but humans on land whispered it ‘The Great Boat of Death’. At first this insulted Papyrus but later he accepted it, seeing as it made other pirates leave them alone for the most part. It was an overall scary boat on the outside but the inside was as clean as a whistle- probably cleaner!  
Papyrus plucked fruits and vegetables from the market, filling one bag up with them and making his brother carry it. The rest of the potato sacks were filled with anything that wouldn’t expire for a long while. Of course lots of whiskey and wine for his hardworking monsters.   
Even though Papyrus was able to fill all the bags to the brim, not much was left in this poor town. They had clearly been recently ransacked of everything good they had to offer. Buildings were singed or missing, smoke lingered and made the sky look even worse than it already did. The captain made a mental note of the bad weather and paid more than what he owed to each stand that provided for him and his crew. Some thanked him, some bowed and one even cried. ‘The Great and Merciful Papyrus’ they whispered, gifting him his new title. The skeleton walked away from the market with pride. 

“Should ya be given’ away all the money?” His brother smirked, knowing the answer.

“Our treasure lies deeper than this gold, Sans!” Papyrus posed with a confident smile, “Plus, we have too much on the boat. I am certain it will weigh us down.”

“It won’t, Capt’n.” Sans assured his brother.

The two organized the ships cargo hold with its newfound bounty. Papyrus did all the real work, Sans took a nap in one of the shelves. Ah, his trust first mate was as lazy as ever. The monster didn’t mind when it was a day for relaxing, Sans was the only one to ever offer him assistance with the shopping anyways. Papyrus gently removed his brother from the shelf and managed to lie him in his proper bed without waking him. The skeleton finished his duties and sat on the dock next to his boat. The skies dark clouds remained but the sun managed to poke through for its usual sunset. The black clouds were a deep purple-red color and made the water below the monsters’ shoes look gorgeous.  
The ocean was always prettier the further they got away from land. This water was especially murky, sharks probably lingered below and snacked on the fish that swam by.  
The captain took pity upon the fish and took a final bite of his sandwich, dropping whatever was left into the water. It made a little plop and magic shimmered away as the ocean absorbed the sandwich. Peculiar enough, no fish came to attack the bread. Papyrus knew they might not appreciate tomatoes but bread was a fish favorite, was it not? The monster pulled his feet back and sat on his knees upon the dock, leaning over curiously. As he did, the sandwich was engulfed as something popped out of the water to eat it. Startling Papyrus, he jumped back and let the image wash over him. A shark!? No, no a human! Humans didn’t usually have that many teeth though, did they? Even if they did, they certainly weren’t pointed to a sharp. Papyrus scrambled forward again to try and see if he would catch another glimpse. It was too late. The rippling water only allowed the skeleton to see a large shark tail swimming below the dock. 

Curious, Papyrus patted his outfit for any source of food he might have on him. His glorious coat was inside his courters, leaving him in his loose, white shirt with a clean tear at the collar bone. His black pants were just as clean but inside his back pocket was only one golden coin. Papyrus had no expectations for this and flipped the coin up with his thumb-bone. The coin spun in the air and made a plopping sound as it dove into the water. As the coin sank, its glow began to fade when it disappeared unnaturally. It never hit the bottom. This dock had to be deep but the coin didn’t even fully fade before-  
Papyrus started in horror as the coin was slapped onto the dock. The hand that committed the action was a silvery grey, looking very much like shark skin.. but around a human looking hand. Ever more intrigued, Papyrus repeated his action and tossed the coin high into the air, allowing it to fall into the water again. Quicker this time, the gold coin was again smacked onto the dock by the same hand! Papyrus laughed in delight but still wondering what this could be? A human playing a prank? Another monster? Nevertheless, a definite friend to be made!   
Papyrus continued to toss the coin into the water but soon became braver, throwing it farther, or behind him- even two coins at a time! The skeleton was enjoying himself but as the night crept on, he knew his crew would be stumbling back. Papyrus had one last trick up his sleeve before he would too retire for the night. The skeleton dropped one of the coins and sat closest to the edge and held the other in his boney hand. Anxious for answers, the monster patiently waited for his new friend to reveal them self. This time took longer than any of the others and Papyrus knew when it was time to retreat. Just as he was about to get up, the grey arm reached out and placed 5 extra gold coins in his hand. Papyrus smiled in amazement and it only grew as a face popped out of the dark water.

Your (e/c) eyes were the first thing he noticed. Wide with curiosity and wonder, your pupil was in a wide slit that reminded Papyrus of a cat! Your plump lips were somehow dried out and scratched, poking your bottom lips were a row of sharp teeth. As you held yourself above the water, your arms stretched out along the surface. Papyrus could see it clearly now, your skin color was (s/c) but stopped above your elbow and faded into the shark-skinned grey. Your wet (h/c) locks were sticking to your face and neck, what was under the water surrounded you beautifully. Your hair must be incredibly long, which would be unusual for a human if Papyrus could identify you as such but he couldn’t. Your humanistic features clashed among your shark-like ones. You obviously weren’t a monster- at least not one like him. Before Papyrus could say anything to you, footsteps rumbled the dock. The monster turned to look at his crew and when he returned his attention to you, you were gone. With a slight sigh, he clenched the gold coins in his hand and began to ponder. 

“Hey, cap’n!” One slurred.

“What’cha doin’ out ‘ere?” 

“Debating...” He mumbled then spoke loud and clear, “I have decided this weather will not allow us to leave tomorrow, we will stay an extra day. Now onward, to bed with you all.”

The drunken crew cheered happily for the extra hours to sleep in! Sans watched from the edge of the boat as his brother stared intensely at the water. His eye sockets glanced up at the dark clouds that would be nothing more than rain at worst. Papyrus was always cautious but he was far too smart to misinterpret the weather. 

“Sans, I insist you do not have to join me.” Papyrus was trying to shake his brother off his trail, “Take an actual day off instead of hiding from your chores in the mop closet.”

“Oh captain, my captain,” Sans joked, “Just lemme string along, I won’t be in yer way.”

Papyrus was shocked to even find him fully awake before the crack of dawn! Sans was awaiting his brother on deck and had followed him around town since. The captain was wandering past the market when he saw something slightly helpful. A library, unscathed by the previous ransacking and fire. Papyrus entered and ordered his brother to look up everything he could about human folklore. Sans was intrigued now and defiantly relieved, this was all for another adventure. The skeleton did as he was told and began searching for any book that would help his brother. Papyrus was looking for an actual source of information that could potentially aid his running mind. You couldn’t be a mermaid, those were colorful and pretty- NOT TO SAY YOU WEREN’T PRETTY, OF COURSE! Papyrus actually found you rather attractive for.. whatever you were.  
Anyways, the captain managed to find what he was looking for. A small human girl with her hair parted into two braids. As Papyrus moved into the right spaces crammed between two bookshelves he heard a voice. A deeper, manly voice that was exaggerating his tone. Ah, more than likely this other human was the girls father, he was reading to her from a lighthearted tale. 

“Excuse me.” Papyrus interrupted him. 

The man placed his thumb in the book so he wouldn’t lose his page and gave the monster a big smile.

“The Great and Merciful Papyrus! What an honor, what can I do for you?” He asked.

“I have a question or two regarding-“ The cover on the book they were reading had a mermaid on it, “Mermaids...”

“Mermaids!?” The girl piped up, her eyes shining. 

“You’re after that treasure all the other pirates are after, ey?” The man asked, his smile faltering and his voice saddened. The pirates that ransacked this town must have been searching for mermaids as well.

“Actually, I would rather avoid them.” Papyrus said, “I’ve heard some tales of mermaids luring sailors to their deaths.” 

“You’re thinking of a siren!” The little girl shouted before her father could say anything.

“There’s a difference?” Papyrus crouched down to be eye level with the child. The father smiled and left to find a book that would hopefully aid the pirate. 

“Technically there’s a few species of mermaids! Only ” The little girl tugged at her braids excitedly, “Sirens have the body of a slimy eel but voices of a Goddess! Mermaids have bodies of pretty fish with long hair!”

“Is there anything you know about a mermaid that has a shark body?” Papyrus whispered. The girl made a sad face.

“I bet you know this, but it’s considered bad luck to sail with a women. So if there’s bad weather or any sign of trouble while a ship is deep sea, they will throw women overboard.” She explained, “Mermaids would sometimes take pity on those women. If their heart was pure, poof, another pretty mermaid!”

“But?”

“But sometimes mermaids would get jealous of how pretty the land women were and would turn them into a monster!”

“Seems simple enough.” Papyrus concludes.

“No one else here believes mermaids exist but me.” The little girl admitted, “I’ve seen one!”

“Really? Where!”

“Down by the dock! At first I thought it was a dolphin- then a shark but it was just (Name).”

“(Name)?” Papyrus repeated.

“Mhm! That’s her name. I give her meat when I can but it’s hard to spare recently. A lot of scary pirates are looking for her.” The little girl had tears in her wide eyes. 

“How about a deal.”

“A deal?”

“If you tell me everything about (Name), I promise to keep her safe. A pirates’ promise.” Papyrus held out his hand.

The little girl shook his hand.


	2. Bargaining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus learns a bit about you and even gets  
> in a quick conversation before getting down to business. This is the most helpful pirate anyone will ever see.

Chapter 2

The little information Papyrus learned about you was strangely a lot to take in. The little girl shared her secret with the pirate after he swore he’d protect the creature they’d both seen. First Papyrus found out the how you communicated. You could speak but not a lot, you were more fond of yes or no questions so you could shake or nod your head to answer them. Then the child proceeded to explain what she knew from you so far, you were hiding from pirates because of that rumor that had been spread over the seven seas. Everyone was convinced mermaids could lead the way to wherever a sailor desired to go- you told the little girl this was only partially true. You made the mistake of helping a human who fell off their ship and swam them to the closest shore, it just happened to be Blackbeard’s island where his treasure was buried. The human tried to steal what he could of Blackbeard’s gold but was caught by that very pirate. The human confessed that it was a mermaid that lead him here and the captains men swarmed the shores in search for you. You were very lucky to have gotten away but you were injured in the process of escaping and had a broken spear lodged in your tail.  
The little girl explained to Papyrus that she tried to pull it out but you snapped at her and swam away when she did. It was obviously a sensitive area and you refused remove it yourself. This made the skeleton worry. The water you were in was far from clean, your wound could get infected if not properly treated. The thought was overlooked when Papyrus realized the child must have seen you in your whole glory to have seen your tail. This excited him.

“What did she look like?”

“Her tail is really long! It looks like a sharks body from riiight here.” The little girl pointed an inch or so above her waist and gestured down, “She has a fin on her back and she’s naked!” The girl giggled.

Papyrus chuckled at her amusement and shook his head. 

“She likes to lay on a rock at night when she thinks no one will see her. I think she’s tired from swimming with that thing in her tail.” The child said with a hint of sadness.

“How did you find her? And where?” Papyrus asked.

“Over there.” The little girl pointed, though they were still inside the library, “(Name) really likes shiny things. You can see the gold she finds from the ocean while she’s on the rock, that’s what gives her away.” 

Papyrus managed to patiently kill time until nightfall. Back on his ship, the crew was dancing and singing tales of their future riches. Papyrus clapped his hands but didn’t join in, his mind was elsewhere. Sans noticed this but fell asleep somewhere below deck. After escaping his brothers careful eye, the captain returned to the library. He ventured from there to the direction the girl pointed from earlier that day. It wasn’t too far from the docks if he had just walked along the shore. Papyrus found himself standing on top of a short cliff, overseeing the docks to the left and rocky beach right below him. The skeleton was careful to be quite as he jumped down from the cliff, landing softly in the sand. Above him was the mountain, curved from the high tides hitting it too often. With the land arched inward, it protected Papyrus’ secret and from anyone seeing you. Hopefully with this in his favor, you would be more willing to communicate with him.  
A good amount of time had passed before Papyrus thought he saw something. On one of the rocks sticking out of the water was a piece of gold shining. It looked like it was moving when it suddenly jerked a foot away from the rock and disappeared somewhere in the water. This happened again with a different piece of gold before Papyrus decided it wasn’t a coincidence. He took out his knife and tested his idea in the mountain wall, using the moonlight to create a shining glare. The monster moved the blade towards the ocean and casted the same glare against the water. There was a splash and two hands popped out of the water to grab at the glare from the water. Papyrus saw a cloud of bubbles popping at the surface and pulled out a green emerald as he drew the glare closer to shore.  
You must not have been as playful as you were yesterday. You refused to pull yourself onto the beach, Papyrus watched as you swam in circles where it was deep enough for you to swim. While you were debating, you stopped circling to pop your head above water and stare at the pirate. Even in the dark, he could see your striking, (e/c) eyes. Your pupils were tiny slits as you glared at his weapon. The pirate looked at his sharp knife and slowly tossed it far behind him. You must have looked a lot less menacing after that because he smiled at you. You did your best to smile back, the skeletal pirate laughed at your attempt but not in a cruel way like you had heard before. This was a pure laugh that made you genuinely smile without realizing it. Despite your better judgment and previous lessons regarding pirates, you dragged yourself into the beach to rest. Your tail was killing you. 

Papyrus was in awe. 

His gaze moved from the end of you to the beginning- that is to say your tail to your face. The child wasn’t exaggerating by any means, your tail was indeed long! Papyrus could see the spear lodged near the end of your tail. It mimicked a sharks body perfectly, the texture of the tough skin reaching up to the dorsal fin below your shoulder blades. The monster tried not to stare but your front, upper half indeed was as human as they came. Luckily your long, (h/c) locks covered your breasts enough for Papyrus to be comfortable to talk to you like this. Your neck wasn’t exposed enough but it almost looked like you had gills? Your (s/c) flesh looked somewhat slimy and glistening like fish scales, how odd. And of course your face was as pretty as it was the previous night. To not be rude, Papyrus started the conversation instead of staring at you all night.

“(Name)?” He asked quietly.

“Me.” You nodded. Your voice wasn’t at all what he thought it’d sound like. It wasn’t gruff but rather irritated and scratchy, like you were sick with a cough. 

“What happened there?” Papyrus pointed to your tail.

“No. My turn.” You said.

“I- Your- What?” That was not what he was expecting, either. 

“You asked question. Now I ask.” 

“Fair enough.” Papyrus made himself comfortable in the sand, setting the emerald in front of him. 

“Name?” You tilted your head.

“I am The Great and Magnificent, Captain Papyrus!” He struck a mini pose. 

“You are a pirate then?” Your voice dropped with sadness.

“My turn to ask.” Papyrus raised a cocky brow bone, “Your tail. What happened?”

“Pirates.” You spat.

“Can you elaborate?” 

“No.” 

Ugh. 

This wasn’t a very productive conversation.

“You are pirate.” You eyed the monster suspiciously, “Why are you here?” 

Your voice and sentences were becoming more used to each other it seemed. Papyrus could only begin to think of reasons why it sounded to unnatural for you. Did you forget how to speak? Were you never taught and you had to learn through broken english to communicate? The possibilities weren’t endless but there was a lot of them, so he would save this question for another time. 

“I spoke to someone you know. She said you might need help with that.” Papyrus nodded his head to your tail, not wanting to point and scare you as a result. 

You looked back towards your tail and the spear sticking out of it. As much as you wanted to ignore it forever, it was getting harder to swim. You’d never be able to make it more than 5 miles away from this island with that in- and worse, there would definitely be no way you could make a quick getaway. 

“I will even give you this if you allow me to assist you.” The skeleton revealed the shining, green emerald he’d been holding onto. Your pupils grew wide with interest as you stared at the gem.


	3. Sense of Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus helps you out and in turn, you give him a tooth. Your tooth. What a weird gesture.

Chapter 3

 

Papyrus had been working carefully for an hour already on your injury. The skeleton gave you his knife to bite on so you wouldn’t make any sounds- he actually handed it to you to make you feel safer that it was in your hands instead of his but.. It’s ok. It’s fine, he has other knives. He was going to just rip it out but upon realizing your body began healing itself around the spear, it would cause you much more pain and bleeding. The pirate wasn’t prepared for either one of those!Papyrus used his long phalanges to dig inside your injury and feel if the spearhead was rigid or smooth. The monster was more than displeased to find out it was made to slide in easy and tear open more wounds as it was removed. No wonder you hadn’t pulled it out yourself. You definitely looked tough enough to do this. It may have been the similar fishy-ness about you but you reminded him of Undyne and she would’ve yanked it out first try. Papyrus gave you a worried glance as he conjured up the only idea he had. 

“This will hurt but I will fix it immediately.” He said at last, “Are you ready?” 

You grunted in response and shut your eyes tight. 

Papyrus gripped the broken handle of the spear and used his strength to yank it out. You made a whimpering sound as your teeth clenched further into the knife, tears threatened to fall from your eyes as you balled your hands into fists. Papyrus had to give you props, you didn’t move just like he asked of you. Immediately after it was removed, skeletal hands covered the blooding wound. You felt an intense heat radiating into your tail, at first it was painful but then it was nothing but a throbbing dullness. You opened your eyes and turned back to see what had happened. There was a small pool of blood below your tail but no wound to prove where it came from! Your eyes darted to the pirate in confusion.

“I healed you.” He said, smiling. Papyrus already felt a wave of relief washing over him now that he had done his part to help. 

“You... Thank you.” You said, still stunned. You ran your fingers over the scar in disbelief. 

“Of course! The Great Papyrus will always help if there is someone in need!” He struck a little pose making you flash him a goofy smile. 

“I must return to my crew before they are aware of my absence.” Papyrus said, handing you the green emerald, “As promised.” 

Your pupils grew big for a moment but as you tore your eyes away from it and towards Papyrus, you gave a longing look. This may have just been a small act of kindness or an everyday ordeal for him but that would’ve been life or death for you! Repaying him somehow was more than necessary. 

“Wait!” You called.

Papyrus stopped, curious, and turned back towards you. 

In one gruesome second, you yanked out one of your many sharp teeth and quickly licked the wound to stop it from bleeding too much. Papyrus’ eye sockets widened at your action. Yet he still made his way back and kneeled in front of you. 

“Keep.” You said, shoving the bloody tooth in his hand. 

“Thank you?” Papyrus gave you a look of confusion, then a genuine smile as he waved goodbye.

You nodded and began dragging yourself in a circle to go back towards the ocean. Your tail flicked from side to side until you were completely submerged in water. Papyrus held your tooth a little tighter as he watched you disappear, swimming normally now. 

The captain made it back on deck without anyone noticing! Not that his crew would ask him of his whereabouts anyways. No one but his brother. Sans definitely would if he knew Papyrus wasn’t sleeping soundly at this hour. 

“Pap?” The short skeletons tired voice made the captain jump and spin around to find the culprit.

Sans had clearly just been woken from his slumber. He was laying in an empty barrel, his arms and legs sticking out to keep him from falling in. How that was comfortable for the skeleton, no one would know. Sans could and has fallen asleep anywhere and everywhere on this ship. The first mate could sleep through anything! It’s the most bizarre talent they’d ever seen, it was almost envious. 

Papyrus darted his eyes from his brother to the ocean, being lit up by the moon. He saw a splash and felt his nerves rise. Did you follow him? 

“NOTHING!” Papyrus shouted, facing the opposite direction. 

Sans removed himself from the barrel, fully awake now, and rubbed his eye sockets with a sigh. 

“I didn’t ask.” He mumbled, “But, ok, what’re you doin’ up?” 

Papyrus hated lying to his brother. Lying in general was against his rule of thumb so he tended to avoid it altogether. Yet some thing about having this secret was... exhilarating! Papyrus had not only found, but helped and talked to the one thing every pirate could only dream of catching a glimpse of! The seas were being explored inch by inch to catch a mermaid- Papyrus stared into the ocean with wide eye sockets. 

The excitement was gone. 

Just about every pirate ship sailing the seven seas was looking for a mermaid. They could lead you to treasures untold, their blood was supposedly sweet and magical, their hair stronger than rope and each scale on their body was worth a fortune- so long as it was all proven to be from a true mermaid and not a colorful fish. You were very much a desired creature and pirates would kill to know about you. Papyrus opened his hand and glanced at the sharp tooth you gifted him. He clenched it into a fist and turned to face his brother.

“I was helping someone. At the library, I was told someone needed help and I was able to assist.” Papyrus smiled fondly, still proud he managed to even get close to you!

Sans relaxed a bit, “That’s great Cap’n.” 

Papyrus bid his brother goodnight and made his way to the Captains Quarters. If he had seen the way Sans’ smile faltered before leaving, he would’ve known how he saw straight through the story. It wasn’t that Papyrus was a bad liar, he couldn’t lie to Sans- no one could- but he didn’t either. There was just something missing. Sniffing out lies, finding the truth, stringing together the real story, the shorter skeleton had a knack for these things. It hurt his brother wouldn’t tell him specifics but he trusted Papyrus’ judgments. The Captain has never lead them astray before... Papyrus must have his reasons. 

Below the ship a creature lurked, circling the bottom of the boat. Somewhat surprised to see it was free of barnacles, starfish and even scrapes! This boat was in impeccable shape! You continued to swim in circles under the boat. You were both confused and intrigued. What kind of a pirate keeps his boat clean? Scratch that. What kind of a pirate finds satisfaction in helping!? Every since you could remember you’ve spent your life hiding from their kind. Any land dweller no matter what they were, they constantly posed a threat for you. If that spear wasn’t enough, you had plenty of other scars to prove that.

So... Why were you hiding under this specific pirates boat?

You don’t know that yet. You want answers but you don’t know how to ask them. You also don’t know what you’re wanting to ask. Part of you just really wants to talk to someone again! Sure the brief conversation you two shared was mainly you whimpering in pain but still. That monster didn’t seem afraid of you hurting him, he just wanted to aid you no matter the cost. He didn’t want anything from you- he even gave you this pretty gem for letting him help you. In return you gave him, what, a tooth and a dented knife!? Wait. Actually, you never gave him his dagger back. He left it in your care back on the beach.   
You turned your body to swim in the direction of the beach. You remained at the bottom, hovering above the sand. It was night so no one would see you but that wasn’t really why you lurked down here. Not only was it nice and cold at the bottles but you constantly found random treasures! Sometimes you would slide your hands under the sand to feel for anything unusual but your right hand was occupied, gripping a green emerald close to your chest. With your free hand you guided the rest of your body towards the beach the pirate healed you. When you were too close to shore to remain hidden, you popped your head up from the water. You gave your tail a small flick to let you glide through the water as you looked for the dagger. You happened to be quite forgetful, it was a shame.   
As you scanned the beach, you found your small human friend drawing in the sand with the broken spear that was previously jabbed into your tail. You rather perked up upon seeing her, she was the only other conversationalist you had! You swam closer and made your presence known by splashing at her. The water never reached her but it did catch her attention! The small human girl turned to you with a knowing smile.

“(Name)!” She said and turned her entire body towards you, plopping herself in the sand. You crawled onto the beach so she wouldn’t have to get any closer to the water. 

“Hello.” You smiled.

The little girl pulled her handmade necklace from under her night gown, revealing the tooth you’d given her attached to a string. 

“Pretty.” You said, nodding with approval.

“I am glad you like it!” Her attention shifted to your tail and the spear in her hand, “Do you feel better?” 

“Much better.” You said honestly. 

“It was the pirate that helped you, right? Captain Papyrus?”

Oh right, that was his name! 

You nodded. 

The little girls’ smile widened, “I knew he could help you, he helps everyone!”

“Everyone?” You asked, looking around for the dagger you came for. 

“He is not like the other pirates.” She said sadly, glancing towards her town. 

Found it!

“What the Captain want?” You asked, reaching for the sandy knife with your free hand. 

“Well... He came to the library looking for you yesterday.”

Yesterday did happen to be the day you were playing fetch with him. Papyrus probably didn’t believe his own eye sockets when you revealed yourself at first.

“I heard stories.”

“Tell me!” You said excitedly.

Your human friend began to tell you the rumors she had heard through her parents and others around her town. Captain Papyrus was a simple monster who craved adventure. He was a lousy excuse for a pirate, considering the true nature of one but people respected his wish to be called one anyways. Sometimes his crew would find treasure and keep it but most of the time it was all for a thrill seeking trip! When your friend was finished talking, you gestured for her to hold out her hand. She did and you placed the emerald in her palm. It looked so much bigger in her tiny hand than in your claws. 

“I-I cannot take this! It is yours!” Her eyes were wide.

“Going now. Take care.” You tapped the gem with your claw and it clinked. 

“Where will you go?” The little girl held the emerald close to her heart. It made you sad to see her look this way.

“Adventure.” You smirked.


	4. The Tales and Tails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Sans decide on their next adventure! One that will most definitely require your help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of what a wrote is nonesence to make the story flow lol!   
> a weird mixture of greek mythology and pirates of the caribbean
> 
> enjoy!

Chapter 4

 

Papyrus woke up around the same time as his crew, which wasn’t unusual. At first the captain arose before everyone else and started breakfast for them! Slowly the crew began waking up just before the captain so he wouldn’t be burdened with any cooking tasks what so ever. Though Papyrus was awake at the crack of dawn this morning, so to see his crew wide awake and crowding the deck was a surprise.   
The captain realized he’d slept in his clothes from the night before and slipped on his usual long, red coat to make it seem like he’d been up for a while. He emerged from his sleeping quarters as he made certain his hat was on properly. Without good grip, this would be the 3rd hat he’d lost so far! A captain without a hat was... still a captain, he supposed but the confusion remained. How would people know who the true captain of this ship was without his magnificent hat!? As Papyrus stood y’all he saw his monsters gathered in a circle. The crews murmuring quieted down before Sans could shout his arrival.

“Captain on deck!”

Papyrus’ confusion as to why the crowd was formed grew, he slowly stepped towards them and watched as their heads hung when he began to look towards them. His eye sockets glanced over to the middle of the crowd, where a large pile of gold and jewels remained. On top of the pile was Papyrus’ trusty knife. The very same one he gave to you.. when he was helping you. His confusion only continued to grow and cloud his mind and he plucked his knife from the treasure pile.

“Where did this come from?” Papyrus asked. 

“T’was here this mornin’, Cap.” A dog monster said.

“Who was on look out?” The captain watched as their eyes darted around for a scapegoat. Then with relief, they unanimously realized it was none of them. 

And all fingers pointed to Sans. 

Papyrus sighed, “Brother, is that why you were in that barrel?”

Sans blushed and chuckled nervously. 

“You,” Papyrus pointed to a monster, “The treasure goes in our hidden compartment. I want breakfast done in 10 minutes and us to be ready to go in 30!”

The monsters all cheered for their captain and ran off to start their duties. Papyrus beckoned for Sans to follow him to the back of the ship, where the steering wheel lied. Sans knew his brother wouldn’t reprimand him for that. Or for anything, really, Papyrus let just about anything slide. More times than not, his crew would feel so guilty about whatever they’d done that no mistakes would happen again on their behalf! 

“Brother, that treasure...”

“I thought you brought it in last night.” Sans interest was peaked. 

“I did not. You don’t suppose one of...” Papyrus’ eye sockets trailed to his hard working monsters, unraveling the mast. He would hate to think one of his crew members would steal.

“Nah, Cap.” Sans patted his back, “That town was dirt poor, they had nothin’ to steal, anyways.” 

Papyrus hummed in response as his attention turned towards the ocean. Clear skies, calm seas and no rival ships as far as he could see. The skeletons usual positive outlook returned and he broke out into a smile. Their next adventure lied under, with all the maps! Sans followed his brother below deck and watched as he looked for the right book. In this room were two bookshelves, a long table and nails hanging different maps on the walls. The two shelves held countless books, all filled with different areas and different maps that they’d traveled to. As mentioned, Papyrus’ journeys were never for the gold but the adventure! Also his little mapping hobby, wherever they traveled the captain would mark with intricate details. It was actually remarkable how much care he had for each book he filled.

Sans plucked a book his brother had marked for their next adventure. It was blue and had constellations on it- since most pirates couldn’t read, it was convenient to have pictures on the cover to signal what one book was about. Sans had the pleasure of creating this book, he was honored his brother took interest in it. The shorter skeleton handed his captain the book and watched as he carefully flipped the pages. Papyrus finally stopped when he found what he was looking for and placed the book flat on the table. Sans glanced at what he had turned to as his brother left to get another book.  
It was the night sky of Greece with the constellation of Cetus. The sea monster. Cetus was the of Phorcids who gave birth to many other monsters; the serpent-guard in the Garden of the Hesperides, the Gorgons, Cerberus the three-headed dog guardian of Hades, the Hydra, the Chimera and several others. She was turned to stone by a warrior with Medusa’s head. Or so the story goes.

“Aha!” Papyrus carefully lied a different book open, next to Sans’ constellation filled one.

“The Tale of King Midas?” 

It was a book filled to the brim with ancient Greek Mythologies. Sans stole this book from a library to read Papyrus bedtime stories. 

“Supposedly the richest man that ever lived in Phrygian City!” 

“Over, what, a decade ago?” Sans chuckled. 

“It is said that after he turned his daughter to gold, he chopped off his thumb, had it- and his riches- taken away.”

“Why would be do that?” Sans joked.

“He turned his own child to gold out of selfishness!” Papyrus shot his brother a look of utter horror before realizing the humor. He wagged a boney finger in front of his face before continuing, “However because of his selfishness, instead of sharing his wealth, he had his riches hidden on an island. The Gods were upset that King Midas did not bestow his treasure to them and had Cetus eat it.”

Sans nodded along to his brother’s tale. He defiantly didn’t remember any of this from that book. 

“Being a ‘dragon-type’ creature, Cetus began hoarding more and more treasure! She simply swallowed whatever it was she wanted!” 

“Wouldn’t it have been turned to stone with her, then?”

“Well... that part is a bit unclear.” Papers admitted, “However! It says that the children of Cetus that remained, took her body to an underwater cave and there she remained.“

“A statue for a underwater cave. How decorative.” Sans smirked.

“Pish-posh, Sans. This is where our adventure starts!” 

“What adventure, bro?”

“Cetus was turned to stone with her mouth wide open, some heard inside it shined like daylight in there! 

“The treasure of King Midas might be in there.” Sans confirmed out loud.

Papyrus nodded happily, “And inside is the hand, and compass of Jack Sparrow!”

“What? How!?” Sans was fully invested now, “They existed during two completely different time periods!”

“Because of the rumors of treasure inside Cetus’ belly, creatures of all kinds began leaving precious objects from all over!”

Sans nodded thoughtfully, “One last thing, Cap... This ‘treasure’ is underwater.” 

“That is the remaining task.” Papyrus smile faltered as he lied down the last book. One Sans has never seen before. 

The book was set down open wide and one long mermaid was drawn, taking up both pages of the book. 

“It is said the kiss of a mermaid can grant you the power to breathe underwater for 12 hours.” 

“Where the hell’re we gonna find a mermaid!” Sans slapped a hand to his skull, making a little clicking sound, “Half the pirates out there’r lookin’ for one!”

Papyrus looked away from his brother and nervously pressed his index fingers together, a bead of sweat rolling off his skull. Sans gave his brother a curious look which quickly turned to realization. 

“Bro?” He said softly. 

The tone was familiar and comforting, reminding the monster that Sans wasn’t just his mate. Papyrus wasn’t one to keep secrets, especially from his own brother. The guilt crept up his spine again and he slowly turned back to face his brother.

“Last night, when I was helping someone, I did not want to tell you because I did not think she would want me to!”

Sans tilted his skull a bit.

“You see, she was stabbed in the tail by a pirate because she-“

“Stabbed... In the tail?” 

“Yes! She is a mermaid.” Papyrus was about to continue when Sans held up a boney hand.

“Bro, you saved a mermaids life. A pile of treasure ends up on deck and you didn’t think anything of it?” Sans rubbed his skull as if he had a headache. 

“I would not say I saved her life...” Papyrus blushed, his humbleness was odd considering his boast full personality.

“Mermaids need to swim.” Sans explained, “If she was stabbed in the tail, she couldn’t swim right and it would put her in danger.”

“O-Oh. Yes, I suppose that would be correct.”

Sans took the book with the mermaid in it and turned a few pages, quickly scanning each one. He must have found what he was looking for because he fully invested in reading a paragraph before turning the book towards his brother. Papyrus didn’t need to read it because Sans had already begun explaining.

“Mermaids are descendants of sirens. This means they can be stubborn, selfish, vain and it can be their downfall. Normally when one gets injured, the other mermaids will attack it so they won’t seem weak by letting it live.”

“I do not understand this logic.”

“Maybe if it were a different universe you would.” Sans mumbled with a nervous smile, “But this means when they allow someone to help them, they feel a sense of debt.“

“But it is my duty as the Great and Merciful Papyrus to help all creatures!” 

“And I think yer great, Paps. Mermaids don’t get that, though. It’s like their ‘code a’ honor’ or some shit.”

Papyrus pulled from his pocket the tooth you’d given him. It was still sharp and bloodied from when you yanked it out. 

“Did she give you that?” Sans stared, his eye sockets widened a bit.

Papyrus nodded and held it out for his brother to see. 

“Yup, she’s indebted to you.” Sans said casually with a shrug.

“W-What!? What- How-“ The Captain was shocked and began panicking a bit. Gratitude was more than enough payment to suffice him! Papyrus didn’t need or want anything more than that from the people he helped. This information was a lot to bear and quite confusing, where was he supposed to go from here? 

“It’s ok, bro.” Sans smirked, “All part’a the adventure.”


End file.
